Einmischprozesse am Oberrand der konvektiven atmosphärischen Grenzschicht

Der Prozess des Einmischens von Luft aus der freien Atmosphäre in die konvektive Grenzschicht wird mit Hilfe eines Doppler Lidars und konzeptioneller Ansätze untersucht. Durch detaillierte Betrachtung der Vorgänge an der Oberkante der Grenzschicht einerseits und der quantitativen Erfassung der Wirkung dieser Vorgänge andererseits, konnte eine Erweiterung des Prozessverständnisses erfolgen sowie Möglichkeiten zu einer robusteren numerischen Beschreibung des Prozesses aufgezeigt werden

Einmischprozesse am Oberrand der konvektiven atmosphärischen Grenzschicht

Der Prozess des Einmischens von Luft aus der freien Atmosphäre in die konvektive Grenzschicht wird mit Hilfe eines Doppler Lidars und konzeptioneller Ansätze untersucht. Durch detaillierte Betrachtung der Vorgänge an der Oberkante der Grenzschicht einerseits und der quantitativen Erfassung der Wirkung dieser Vorgänge andererseits, konnte eine Erweiterung des Prozessverständnisses erfolgen sowie Möglichkeiten zu einer robusteren numerischen Beschreibung des Prozesses aufgezeigt werden

Assessment of Surface-Layer Coherent Structure Detection in Dual-Doppler Lidar Data Based on Virtual Measurements

Dual-Doppler lidar has become a useful tool to investigate the wind-field structure in two-dimensional planes. However, lidar pulse width and scan duration entail significant and complex averaging in the resulting retrieved wind-field components. The effects of these processes on the wind-field structure remain difficult to investigate with in situ measurements. Based on high resolution large-eddy simulation (LES) data for the surface layer, we performed virtual dual-Doppler lidar measurements and two-dimensional data retrievals. Applying common techniques (integral length scale computation, wavelet analysis, two-dimensional clustering of low-speed streaks) to detect and quantify the length scales of the occurring coherent structures in both the LES and the virtual lidar wind fields, we found that, (i) dual-Doppler lidar measurements overestimate the correlation length due to inherent averaging processes, (ii) the wavelet analysis of lidar data produces reliable results, provided the length scales exceed a lower threshold as a function of the lidar resolution, and (iii) the low-speed streak clusters are too small to be detected directly by the dual-Doppler lidar. Furthermore, we developed and tested a method to correct the integral scale overestimation that, in addition to the dual-Doppler lidar, only requires high-resolution wind-speed variance measurements, e.g. at a tower or energy balance station.DFG/RA 617/19-

What determines the differences found in forest edge flow between physical models and atmospheric measurements? - An les study

A recent study has shown that Doppler lidar is a state-of-the-art method to obtain spatially and temporally resolved flow fields in forest edge flow regimes. In that study, the general flow features observed by lidar were found to be similar to those detected above a physical tree model in a wind tunnel. But in pivotal details, for example regarding the absolute height and the inner structure of the internal boundary layer (IBL), significant differences were detected. The main objectives of this Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) study are to analyze these differences and to associate them to the meteorological and physical differences between the set-ups of the wind tunnel and the atmospheric measurement. This enables on the one hand a model evaluation for the LES and the physical model respectively, and on the other hand a better understanding of the results from the lidar measurements. Results from an LES with neutral stratification and without Coriolis force show a similar IBL structure as in the wind tunnel and represent well-known characteristics of forest edge flow. A variation of the forest density only marginally affects the IBL structure. The presence of a finite forest clearing as observed at the lidar site increases the turbulence level of the IBL, compared to a set-up with a quasi-infinite clearing like in the wind tunnel. Including Coriolis force further enhances the turbulence levels to values observed by lidar. An increasing thermal instability results in even higher turbulence levels. Hence, differences between wind tunnel and atmospheric measurements are mainly traced back to differences in the flow forcing and in the onflow conditions upstream of the forest edge. Furthermore, a statistical analysis reveals that insufficient averaging of the lidar data also contributes to the observed deviations from the wind tunnel results. Based on this analysis, we suggest that at least two and a half hours of measurements during equivalent atmospheric conditions are necessary to obtain a statistically representative mean IBL structure

Nocturnal Low-level Jet Evolution in a Broad Valley Observed by Dual Doppler Lidar

The temporal evolution of a nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ) in the 40km$40\,\text{km}$ broad Rhine Valley near Karlsruhe is studied, in the framework of a case study, with two heterodyne detection Doppler lidars using the new scan concept of “virtual towers”. For validation of this measuring technique, we performed comparative case studies with a tethered balloon and the highly instrumented 200m$200\,\text{m}$ KIT tower. The findings show capabilities of the virtual tower technique for wind measurements. Virtual towers can be placed at all locations within the range of Lidar measurements. Associated with nocturnal stable stratification, the LLJ, a wind speed maximum of about 9ms-1$9\,\text{m}\,\text{s}^{-1}$, develops at 100m$100\,\text{m}$ to 150m$150\,\text{m}$ agl, but the wind does not show the typical clockwise wind direction change that is reported in many other studies. This is attributed to the channeling effect occurring in broad valleys like the Rhine Valley when the boundary layer is stably stratified. Such channeling means a significant deviation of the wind direction from the Ekman spiral so that low-altitude winds turn into valley-parallel direction

Atmospheric Boundary Layer Classification With Doppler Lidar

We present a method using Doppler lidar data for identifying the main sources of turbulent mixing within the atmospheric boundary layer. The method identifies the presence of turbulence and then assigns a turbulent source by combining several lidar quantities: attenuated backscatter coefficient, vertical velocity skewness, dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy, and vector wind shear. Both buoyancy-driven and shear-driven situations are identified, and the method operates in both clear-sky and cloud-topped conditions, with some reservations in precipitation. To capture the full seasonal cycle, the classification method was applied to more than 1year of data from two sites, Hyytiala, Finland, and Julich, Germany. Analysis showed seasonal variation in the diurnal cycle at both sites; a clear diurnal cycle was observed in spring, summer, and autumn seasons, but due to their respective latitudes, a weaker cycle in winter at Julich, and almost non-existent at Hyytiala. Additionally, there are significant contributions from sources other than convective mixing, with cloud-driven mixing being observed even within the first 500m above ground. Also evident is the considerable amount of nocturnal mixing within the lowest 500m at both sites, especially during the winter. The presence of a low-level jet was often detected when sources of nocturnal mixing were diagnosed as wind shear. The classification scheme and the climatology extracted from the classification provide insight into the processes responsible for mixing within the atmospheric boundary layer, how variable in space and time these can be, and how they vary with location. Key PointsPeer reviewe

The HD(CP)² Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) – an overview

The HD(CP)2 Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) was performed as a major 2-month field experiment in Jülich, Germany, in April and May 2013, followed by a smaller campaign in Melpitz, Germany, in September 2013. HOPE has been designed to provide an observational dataset for a critical evaluation of the new German community atmospheric icosahedral non-hydrostatic (ICON) model at the scale of the model simulations and further to provide information on land-surface–atmospheric boundary layer exchange, cloud and precipitation processes, as well as sub-grid variability and microphysical properties that are subject to parameterizations. HOPE focuses on the onset of clouds and precipitation in the convective atmospheric boundary layer. This paper summarizes the instrument set-ups, the intensive observation periods, and example results from both campaigns. HOPE-Jülich instrumentation included a radio sounding station, 4 Doppler lidars, 4 Raman lidars (3 of them provide temperature, 3 of them water vapour, and all of them particle backscatter data), 1 water vapour differential absorption lidar, 3 cloud radars, 5 microwave radiometers, 3 rain radars, 6 sky imagers, 99 pyranometers, and 5 sun photometers operated at different sites, some of them in synergy. The HOPE-Melpitz campaign combined ground-based remote sensing of aerosols and clouds with helicopter- and balloon-based in situ observations in the atmospheric column and at the surface. HOPE provided an unprecedented collection of atmospheric dynamical, thermodynamical, and micro- and macrophysical properties of aerosols, clouds, and precipitation with high spatial and temporal resolution within a cube of approximately 10  ×  10  ×  10 km3. HOPE data will significantly contribute to our understanding of boundary layer dynamics and the formation of clouds and precipitation. The datasets have been made available through a dedicated data portal. First applications of HOPE data for model evaluation have shown a general agreement between observed and modelled boundary layer height, turbulence characteristics, and cloud coverage, but they also point to significant differences that deserve further investigations from both the observational and the modelling perspective

Einmischprozesse am Oberrand der konvektiven atmosphärischen Grenzschicht

Der Prozess des Einmischens von Luft aus der freien Atmosphäre in die konvektive Grenzschicht wird mit Hilfe eines Doppler Lidars und konzeptioneller Ansätze untersucht. Durch detaillierte Betrachtung der Vorgänge an der Oberkante der Grenzschicht einerseits und der quantitativen Erfassung der Wirkung dieser Vorgänge andererseits, konnte eine Erweiterung des Prozessverständnisses erfolgen sowie Möglichkeiten zu einer robusteren numerischen Beschreibung des Prozesses aufgezeigt werden